Anyone nervous about sending stones to Sally?

[Indylady]

I didn''t think I''d have gemstone separation anxiety, but I''m feelin'' it. I''m wondering if I should just send my little diamonds into Sally and ask her to make the setting without the center stone, which I could then have set at a local jeweler. Am I being silly?

 

[jstarfireb]

Nope, not silly...I had the same concern. So much that I didn''t send the gems on my own; I just piggybacked on MTG''s shipment. I also considered having open settings made but decided they would probably work better if Sally could see the actual stones.

 

[trishy]

im new to this whole jewelry/gemstone thing, and i just got my quote for the ring im makin with the little garnet. but its with julia kay taylor...
this being my first ever project... im more worried about mail getting lost, than i am about anything with julia, she''s wonderful, and always very quick with a response. i havent sent it yet tho, so when it actually leaves me, maybe it will be scary. i feel nervous about sending it, it getting lost in the mail. is it the mail you worry about? or is sally not as responsive?. im so excited about my ring, i love julias work, but when i really stop and think, i am a bit scared of something possibly going wrong. so far everything has been so perfect... i know, my garnet is just a small little guy, and its a pretty inexpensive project, but i am so excited about it, i would really be devastated if anything bad happened.

i know in the scheme of things, it shouldnt be such a big deal, but really it is to me. so what are you nervous about. please share

 

[Indylady]

Jstar, I am so glad to hear I''m not the only one!

My friends and family are telling me that shipping to Thailand is risky and trying to talk me out of it. I''ve gotten her instructions, and they are sound, but it also worries me a little that it won''t have tracking. Which of course is a good idea so that it won''t attract attention, but a scary one nonetheless.

 

[Indylady]

Trishy, are you in the States too? If you are, and most likely even if you aren't, it shouldn't be that much of a problem. If I were shipping in the States, I'd ship it USPS with tracking. It should be safe, though I understand the concern entirely.

 

[Arcadian]

My stone went to JKT no problems. Just give her the tracking number when you send it. Some stones I''ve sent overseas have always made it but I insure as a precaution.


-A

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I was very nervous about sending my stones to Sally. The Thailand mail service doesn't make me feel very comfortable, nor does the fact that it is safer to NOT insure your stones.

I followed her instructions and held my breath for about 10 days. Everything worked out fine. On the way back she sent my stuff via express mail and that was fine as well.

Will I do it again? Yes, I already have something planned. However, I will not send a stone to her over $500 or a stone I could not replace. I don't have anyone to set stones locally, and I have noticed that people who send their stones to her have settings that really fit like a glove.

ETA: I sent mine via registered mail, so I did have tracking, but it was super delayed and Sally was my best source of information. She made a point to e-mail me as soon as she got them just to let me know.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/6/2009 2:08:41 AM
Author: LtlFirecracker
I was very nervous about sending my stones to Sally. The Thailand mail service doesn''t make me feel very comfortable, nor does the fact that it is safer to NOT insure your stones.


I followed her instructions and held my breath for about 10 days. Everything worked out fine. On the way back she sent my stuff via express mail and that was fine as well.


Will I do it again? Yes, I already have something planned. However, I will not send a stone to her over $500 or a stone I could not replace. I don''t have anyone to set stones locally, and I have noticed that people who send their stones to her have settings that really fit like a glove.


ETA: I sent mine via registered mail, so I did have tracking, but it was super delayed and Sally was my best source of information. She made a point to e-mail me as soon as she got them just to let me know.

Ditto everything ltl has said.

I can''t say you''ll be 100% fine, as of course there''s no guarantees - but you can look at how many PS''ers have sent stuff to her plus had stuff sent out, and not one has had a problem.
Using the technique Sally recommends, I understand she is yet to lose one at all in her history of business.

I know THI is abit different, but if it helps you at all I can''t count how many registered packages I''ve had come back and forth to and from the US and AUS now, and not one has gone astray.

I can tell you my experience, as I was hesitant to send my stone for my mum''s lotus to Sally initially - so I had the setting made without the stone, just the measurements.
When it got here, I could not find a single jeweller I had confidence to set the stone in the lotus.
In the end, I sent the ring back to her and gem to be set anyway, so wasted about 3 weeks of trouble. Everything worked out just fine with Sally.
However- I know she is capable of making settings without the stones being there, but tbh I think my mum''s setting would''ve been just a tad nicer had I gone the "proper" route to start with. Sometimes I think it looks too high compared to other lotus''s on here is all.

That''s just my experiences, but I hope it can help a lil..

 

[redfaerythinker]

I had my lotus made and then set the stone here at a local jeweler. I think it worked out just fine, so that''s always an option. Unless you have a wonky stone. Then it might be better to have her set it.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Sally says she hasn''t lost anything in transit yet, so that''s assuring. Also, I believe she knows someone on the staff of the mailing service over there, so that might help as well.

I didn''t feel too nervous sending her my tsavorite, and I do plan on sending my tanzanite to be set by her as well.

 

[Liane]

I sent her a sizable amethyst and citrine a couple of months ago and had no problems at all. Am actually waiting for the finished pieces to come back so I can post them.

But it was super easy and smooth. I just followed her instructions (and wrapped my stones up in a big ball of brown paper so it just felt like a crinkled wad of... I don''t even know what. And apparently neither did any potential mail thieves).

 

[packrat]

I''ve planned on having her set my opal, and I am scared to send it. I''ve thought about having JKT do it instead, b/c *if* something were to happen to it, I''d be crushed. My grampa mined it and it''s so special to me. I trust her directions on how to send it tho..so I guess we''ll see when the time comes.

 

[Indylady]

What makes me wary is that I was expecting a package from overseas this summer, and literally waited months to receive it and still haven''t. It wasn''t from Thailand, but it was from another country near Thailand.

I went to the post office today to ship it, and it turns out that the one closest to me doesn''t ship international mail registered. The SA I was working with seemed really confused, so I figured I''d rather just wait till tomorrow and go to another post office. I packed my gems in a box in another box; I asked the SA to tape this box into the final box to be shipped in, and he said ok and took it to the back. He came back with it entirely taped up...and he box in the middle wasn''t taped down!

He had added bubble wrap but it still bumps around...

What do you guys think about sending the gemstones in a simple envelope or a one of those bubble mailers? If I did that, I''d keep my centerstone and just send the diamond melee, which is small and would fit into an envelope easily (I''d fold paper around it to make it look like a letter). The diamond melee is fairly ''dispensable'' to me; I''d be out of the cash I spent to buy it, but I don''t have any attachment to it. I really love my centerstone and wouldn''t want to lose it.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I sent mine in a bubble mailer. I put the gem in some bubble wrap, taped it to the inside of a magazine, put the magazine in the bubble mailer, taped up the edges, and off it went! It just looked like documents from the outside I think, in any case, it got there safely!

I''m a little more nervous sending off the tanzanite just because it''d be harder to replace than the tsavorite I sent. But I don''t trust any local jewelers to set the tanzanite given how fragile they can be, so off it''ll go!

 

[freefly]

I was nervous the first couple of times I sent out stones to Sally, but they got there every time, and she told me there hasn''t been one lost package yet. I would have no problems sending her anything at this point. I think the mail system there is pretty reliable. I have sent stones to her in a box of candy though, in case the package was ever opened, it would look like a worthless box of candy. I even resealed the box with glue, from the outside, it looked like a sealed box.

I know it''s a little nerve wracking sending your precious gems halfway across the world, but I don''t think you have anything to worry about.

 

[arjunajane]

I do realize everyone is being helpful offering up their suggestions on how they mailed their gems to Sally (and some v. creative I must say!).
Maybe I''m just being paranoid, but I''ve often thought "wouldn''t it be awful if a Thai postal worker or scamster now saw this site/knew just what to look for..!"

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Date: 10/7/2009 4:04:33 AM
Author: arjunajane
I do realize everyone is being helpful offering up their suggestions on how they mailed their gems to Sally (and some v. creative I must say!).

Maybe I''m just being paranoid, but I''ve often thought ''wouldn''t it be awful if a Thai postal worker or scamster now saw this site/knew just what to look for..!''

I thought the same thing. That is why I did not put my technique

 

[D&T]

use brown tape, if registered, is what I was advised by usps... you can buy a roll at staples for about $7, write directly on the brown tape directly (avoid any labels) is what I did. USPS stamps on top of brown tape. The first time I was nervous then the second...no big deal, and after a few international mailing. I've been feeling ok about it now. With Julia and other etsy in the US... I've been kinda just mailing it in padded envelope, not even registered

I know I'm risking it, but its just the same as gift cards I mail in the US, and I haven't lost one yet...(knock on wood)

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/7/2009 4:10:52 PM
Author: LtlFirecracker

Date: 10/7/2009 4:04:33 AM

Author: arjunajane

I do realize everyone is being helpful offering up their suggestions on how they mailed their gems to Sally (and some v. creative I must say!).


Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I've often thought 'wouldn't it be awful if a Thai postal worker or scamster now saw this site/knew just what to look for..!'

I thought the same thing. That is why I did not put my technique

I'm glad I'm not the only one ltl -

 

[Indylady]

If Thai postal workers are anything like postal workers in other third world countries, they probably don''t have computers. As far as bigger scamsters, I have no idea if they follow PS or not, but I have thought and wondered about personal security here in the US.

 

[Liane]

Date: 10/7/2009 4:04:33 AM
Author: arjunajane
I do realize everyone is being helpful offering up their suggestions on how they mailed their gems to Sally (and some v. creative I must say!).
Maybe I''m just being paranoid, but I''ve often thought ''wouldn''t it be awful if a Thai postal worker or scamster now saw this site/knew just what to look for..!''

I think it is safe to say that''s being a little paranoid, yes.

Even if Thai postal workers recognized Sally''s address as being that of a jeweler, and even if they knew that she occasionally received loose stones from customers overseas (which I think already removes this from the realm of reasonable probability), then in order for this thread to make any difference at all, those prospective thieves would have to:

(a) know about this board;
(b) read this particular thread;
(c) be able to distinguish wrapped boxes and stuffed magazines from normal correspondence and/or gems that just aren''t worth the trouble of stealing because they''re unremarkable $20 quartzes or synthetics or whatever;
(d) be willing to risk their jobs and their co-workers'' jobs over that; and
(e) have access to a reliable fence who''s also willing to endure the hassle of reselling some stolen foreigner''s jewel that is probably worth $100 or less on the illegal resale market.

Could it happen? Sure. I''m a speculative fiction author; I''m willing to believe just about anything could happen. Is it likely to happen? The odds, I think, are infinitesimal.

The elaborate wrap jobs don''t do anything but make us, the senders, feel a tiny bit more comfortable. They are pretty much entirely for our own mental benefit. If a package is actually going to get intentionally stolen (vs. lost), it is much much much more likely that the worker is going to make off with one that''s been insured for a substantial sum and is therefore more likely to contain something actually worth the trouble.

 

[arjunajane]

Liane,
please see my other posts in this thread.
I have sent stones to Sally - infact, as far as I know, I was the first PSer to do so - she and I came up together with some of the methods being discussed here. Before I asked her about doing so, she (quote) had never had to deal with the request before (had always used her own stones). And now look at everything that has changed.

It was simply something that crossed my mind (and it appears not only mine) - and not just in relation to THI, with regards to posting gems in general. Look at all the issues folks have had with USPS of late.

Yes, I do believe it could be possible as what is the reason we are all so worried about sending gems to THI in the first place? Because mail theft is an established, endemic, organized crime that the government is aware of and has had to crack down on a number of times. I think it''s safe to assume the people running the rackets have access to computers and the web, and are reasonably intelligent (and of course have a source to sell the gems/goods)

Anyway, this is all beside the point and has taken the thread on a complete tangent for which I know was not helpful for szh07.
I was simply saying perhaps it''s not wise for us to all post our best secret postage methods for the world to see - if you don''t agree, fine.

But please don''t behave as if I''m discouraging others from doing so - I never said anything to that effect - and in the early days of PSers discovering Sally there are multiple threads where I advised others who asked on how to get their gems to Sally safely.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

Just keep in mind that PS often comes up in the first couple pages of a google search. More and more people are getting internet access everyday.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Well, if szh07 thinks she''s had all the feedback she needs, maybe we can just ask the mods to close down this thread?

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 10/8/2009 2:20:01 PM
Author: MakingTheGrade
Well, if szh07 thinks she''s had all the feedback she needs, maybe we can just ask the mods to close down this thread?

thanks MTG, I think that''s a good suggestion...a lil healthy paranoia never hurt, right

Of course, being her thread, it will be up to szh to deecide.